


Made the Children Laugh and Play

by SunnyD_lite



Category: Firefly
Genre: Post Movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-04
Updated: 2007-01-04
Packaged: 2017-10-07 17:45:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/67599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyD_lite/pseuds/SunnyD_lite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The prompt was Crabapple and Mal decided he wanted to play. Last time I had him falling down a cliff. This job went a little easier on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Made the Children Laugh and Play

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: My thanks to **spiralleds** for her betaing. Muse was rough with this one, so all errors are my own.

The children laughed as, surrounded by lambs, Mal wandered through the orchard on the way back into town. The others had flown the mule, but someone needed to guide the lambs home. And he'd wanted to enjoy the opportunity to wear that dress and bonnet get up. Nothing like watching the goons' faces when they realized the little woman was actually totin' a very large gun.

'Course his gun was smaller than Zoe's, and Jayne's. And this trick only worked on worlds where religions divvied up the work according to gender rather than to them best suited to the tasks. But it was a hoot and a holler when they could pull it off. And the crew needed a bit of a laugh, 'specially now.

It also tickled him a bit that they were enforcing laws, rather than bendin' them. This moon's security detail had just been put to tender, and there was work needing to be done that couldn't wait on contracts. The town's folk were able and, more importantly, willing, to pay to bring the rustlers to justice.

And he wasn't against helping hard working regular types. He understood them. Reminded him of the ranch on Shadow where he'd grown up. 'Cept for them underestimating the women folk. He hadn't met anyone with a better head for business than his mother. Though some of Inara's comments had him thinking that she might be running a close second.

His ranch had an orchard too. Not as big as this, but it was a bit of nostalgia walking through one again, even if the flowers on the trees kept dropping on his hat. With a tilt of his head he realized he knew these trees. Huh. Imagine that, all those hours of punishment copying Mother's gardening catalogs and he'd actually learned something. Crabapples. Why anyone would want an orchard of the sour things he didn't know, nor care. If it was a mistake, it was theirs to make.

But something was twinging at his brain. Couldn't be that important. They'd done the job, helped out good people, the clients seemed willing to pay, and he was still wearing clothes. He raised his face to catch some sun; yup it was a good day.

As he left the orchard, a lamb butted against his thigh causing him to stumble, legs getting caught up in the unfamiliar material. Hadn't been this close to animals since the cattle job. This wasn't the life he'd imagined. Thought he'd be a rancher. Riding the wilds, roping in calves, and living life without any meddling. Had pictured himself with a passel of little ones; he'd always wanted brothers and sisters.

Who'd be standing by him? That had remained a mystery. Still, it would have been a good life. But wasn't one he was destined to have.

Mother had always said the right to make mistakes was the most cherished right of all. Alliance had seen fit to 'guide' folk away from mistakes, rather forcefully. So he'd seen little choice but to volunteer, defend the right of others to be stupid.

Some of the crew got that. Some didn't. Didn't matter. Their last job, getting to the heart of the Reavers, that had been a goodness on a large scale. This one, stopping the rustlers, was too, if affecting fewer people. Yet this one had come with pay and none of the crew harmed. Seemed odd that the smaller risk had the greater immediate reward.

After handing over the lambs and collecting their pay, Mal remembered what had been niggling at him, and asked for one more favor.

***

"If I knocked, would you let me in?"

"No. Last time I didn't put my foot down soon enough. I will not have you sneaking into my shuttle unannounced."

"Lucky for me I announced myself then, ain't it? It's springtime on the moon. Thought you might like these." He kept his eyes on the flowering branches, rather than look at Inara's reaction.

"Apple blossoms?"

"Crabapple, actually. But they mean renewal. Thought it fitting, you joining us again and all." He hazarded a glance up. Had he tipped his hand too much? It was always a tightrope, conversing with Inara. Might be why he'd yet to find time spent with her a tedium.

He didn't catch her retort. Didn't matter none. He'd see that shy smile, that re-evaluating gaze. He might not completely understand her, but as he collected the pieces, he was growing fond of the picture they made.

This wasn't the life he'd planned, but it was the life he had. They'd all been forcefully reminded that time was not an unlimited commodity. Serenity hadn't reached equilibrium yet; the changes, the losses were still too fresh. But what were mistakes for save to learn from? Remembering the lambs, and the laughing children, he had to smile. Renewal. This life might not be everything he'd wanted, but he'd live it to the fullest, mistakes and all.

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N**: Crabapple blossoms are a symbol of renewal! Google is fun!


End file.
